Stories of Service

Join KUAC FM for a very special Alaskan presentation of StoryCorps Military Voices leading up to this Armed Forces Day weekend. These stories were recorded at Ft. Wainwright when StoryCorps visited Alaska in February. Tune in May 13-16th at 1 pm on KUAC 89.9 FM, KUAC online, KUAC HD, and KUAC TV 9.5.

This three-part series, produced by best-selling author and US Army veteran Wes Moore, tells the story of his search for answers to some of the most difficult questions facing vets returning from war. Moore’s journey, spurred by the suicide of one of his oldest friends and a fellow officer, takes him into the personal lives of different soldiers as they attempt to reintegrate into society, establish new identities and — for many — find a new mission. Tune in Tuesdays at 7 pm 5/13, through 5/27, on KUAC TV Channel 9.1 or GCI Cable Channel 9.

October 14th, 2013 was the 70th anniversary of an event that shook the Nazi party to its core. In east Poland, at the remote Nazi death camp of Sobibor, 300 Jewish prisoners staged a bloody break out. To mark the anniversary, this film travels back Sobibor with the last remaining survivors to reveal their extraordinary story of courage, desperation and determination. The film uses brutally honest drama-reconstruction and first-hand testimony to reveal the incredible escape story. Tune in Tuesday, 5/20 at 8 pm, on KUAC TV Channel 9.1 or GCI Cable Channel 9.

JOHN GLENN: A LIFE OF SERVICE chronicles the extraordinary life and career of an American legend. The documentary surveys Glenn’s distinguished military, NASA and political careers through archival footage and interviews with lawmakers, journalists, historians and NASA colleagues. JOHN GLENN: A LIFE OF SERVICE captures the pivotal events in John Glenn’s life: his humble beginnings in Depression-era Ohio, his life-changing ride-along with a barnstormer, his enlistment following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, his 122 combat missions during World War II and the Korean War, his envelope-pushing exploits as a Naval test pilot, and his transition to astronaut during the Cold War. Tune in Sunday, 5/25 at 7 pm on KUAC TV Channel 9.1 or GCI Cable Channel 9.

Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise co-host the 25th anniversary broadcast of the NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT, a night of remembrance honoring the service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform, their families at home and all those who have given their lives for our country. They are joined by an all-star line-up in performance with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of top Pops conductor Jack Everly. Featuring a unique blend of uplifting musical performances and dramatic readings, the program airs from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol before a concert audience of hundreds of thousands, millions more at home, as well as to our troops serving around the world on the American Forces Network. Tune in Sunday, 5/25 at 8 pm, on KUAC TV Channel 9.1 or GCI Cable Channel 9.

This documentary tells the unheralded story about a group of Japanese Americans, who as civilians served America during World War II, even as their families and friends were incarcerated in concentration camps. While the unequaled battle records of Japanese American soldiers are now legendary, little is known about the vital role played by these US citizens who did language translation work and short wave radio broadcasting to Japan, assisting in the war efforts of Britain and the USA. Through actual recordings and first-person interviews with the participants of those broadcasts, CALLING TOKYO is a fascinating story about a unique effort to help hasten the end of the war. Tune in Sunday, 5/25 at 9:30 pm, on KUAC TV Channel 9.1 or GCI Cable Channel 9.

DEATH AND THE CIVIL WAR explores an essential but largely overlooked aspect of the most pivotal event in American history. With the coming of the Civil War and the staggering casualties it ushered in, death entered the experience of the American people as it never had before — permanently altering the character of the Republic, and the psyche of the American people. The work of contending with death on an unprecedented scale propelled extraordinary changes in the inner and outer life of Americans– posing challenges for which there were no ready answers when the war began — challenges that called forth remarkable and eventually heroic efforts as Americans worked to improvise new solutions, new institutions, new ways of coping with death on an unimaginable scale. Tune in Friday, 5/26 at 8 pm, on KUAC FM, KUAC online, KUAC HD and KUAC TV 9.5.

EAGLES OF MERCY recounts a seldom-told chapter in the World War II narrative, picking up in the opening moments of D-Day. In the early hours of June 6, 1944, two young American medics with the 101st Airborne “Screaming Eagles” parachuted into France, and soon found themselves trapped in a 12th-century Norman church in the small village of Angoville-au-Plain. Medics Robert Wright and Kenneth Moore provided first aid to the first casualties of D-Day while a savage battle raged outside between American and German forces. During the documentary, Wright and Moore recount the rigors of basic training, parachuting into Normandy ahead of the amphibious landing on Utah Beach, surviving German anti-aircraft artillery and carrying on their life-saving work even when their unit retreated. EAGLES OF MERCY supplements these compelling stories with newsreel footage, re-enactments and interviews with fellow medics and residents of Angoville. Tune in Monday, 5/26 at 10 pm, on KUAC TV Channel 9.1 or GCI Cable Channel 9.

D-Day was a logistical effort on a scale never seen before or since. On the day itself, 14,000 planes dropped 23,000 airborne troops behind German lines, and 5,000 ships delivered 30,000 military vehicles and 160,000 soldiers onto the beaches. Once on the shore, the troops had to negotiate six million mines buried in the sand, 500,000 fearsome beach obstacles and hundreds of miles of barbed wire, while dodging the shells and bullets fired by half-a-million German defenders. Tune in Tuesday, 5/27 at 8 pm, on KUAC TV Channel 9.1 or GCI Cable Channel 9.

On June 6, 1944, the Allies launched the biggest armada in history to invade the Normandy beaches and liberate Europe from the Nazis. Throughout the operation, hundreds of ships sank running the gauntlet of mines and bunkers, creating one of the world’s largest underwater archaeological sites. Now, NOVA has exclusive access to a unique collaboration between military historians, archaeologists, and specialist divers to carry out the most extensive survey ever done of the seabed bordering the legendary beachheads. Dive teams, submersibles, and underwater robots discover and identify key examples of the Allied craft that fell victim to German shellfire, mines and torpedoes. The team uses the latest 3D mapping tools to plot the relics on the sea floor producing an incredible new view of this battle. Tune in Wednesday, 5/28 at 9 pm, on KUAC TV Channel 9.1 or GCI Cable Channel 9.